The University of Iowa is apologizing for a joke on a school Twitter feed that appeared to refer to Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann as a cougar.

Trying to make light of reports of a mountain lion or cougar sighting in Iowa City, the school tweeted Thursday: "I didn't know Bachmann was in town. Bah-dum-bum." A cougar is a term for older women who seek out younger men.

The university removed the posting after an inquiry from The Associated Press. It later tweeted an apology.

Iowa spokesman Tom Moore says a staff person was responsible and actions were being taken to "address this situation."

Bachmann's campaign released a statement saying she was grateful not to be called "The Old Lady in the Shoe."

The campaign's response is a bit eyebrow-raising. Either making a comment about Bachmann as a "cougar" is offensive to them, or it isn't, and her team's joking reaction falls somewhere in the middle.

And yet it's also one of the few things her campaign - which has been getting pummeled in headlines over her assertions about a young girl's "retardation" from an HPV vaccine - has moved to quickly respond to.